Turning Crisis into Opportunity: A Programme of Intervention for Cambodian Returnees
Following the 2025 border conflict with Thailand, nearly one million Cambodian migrant workers have returned home, threatening rural livelihoods and national stability. This policy brief outlines a comprehensive intervention program developed by CDRI and ERIA to address the crisis. It proposes immediate relief through cash transfers, job creation,...
Proposed Programme of Intervention to Integrate Cambodian Returnees into the Cambodian Economy
In response to the mass return of over 910,000 Cambodian migrant workers from Thailand in 2025, this report by CDRI and ERIA outlines a comprehensive intervention programme to address the resulting economic and social challenges. The programme proposes short-term measures such as emergency cash transfers, debt relief, public works employment, and s...
From Loss to Transformation? Towards Pluralistic and Politicised Agrarian-Climate Futures
Understanding how actors perceive and anticipate future states of the world is gaining traction in climate change governance scholarship and related calls for sustainability transformations. However, smallholder farmers, indigenous groups, and local communities, who are expected to bear disproportionate burdens of loss and damage from climate c...
From Guidelines to Action: Strengthening Climate-Resilient Water Safety Planning for Inclusive Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Services in Cambodia
In 2023, over 90 percent of Cambodia’s urban population had access to at least basic drinking water services; however safely managed sanitation reaches only 56 percent of urban communities, and around 10 percent of rural ones still practice open defecation. Alarmingly, about 15 percent of rural residents still relied on untreated water.Climate...
Demographic and Economic Profile of Returned Migrant Labourers
Following the outbreak of violence along the Cambodia–Thailand border on 24 July 2025, around 910,000 migrant labourers returned home by 11 August 2025, losing their main source of income. A clear picture of returnees’ demographic and economic profiles is essential for designing timely and effective support measures.To explore more insights, visit...
Navigating the Economic Transition of Cambodia’s Returning Workforce: Suggested Policy Approaches
900,000 workers returning from Thailand has caused labour oversupply, loss of remittances, and pressure on social services.Thailand is diversifying labour sources, potentially making large-scale return of Cambodian workers challenging in the medium and long terms.Three possible policy options are available: localised absorption, national reintegrat...
Bridging the Gap: An Examination of Teacher Deployment in Cambodian Preschools
The current study examines teacher deployment strategies in Cambodian preschools and identifies challenges related to the supply and deployment of teaching staff in early childhood education by assessing the adequacy, efficiency, and quality of teacher deployment. This study employs multiple approaches in data collection, including desk review of e...
Determinants of Health Insurance Coverage in Cambodia: A Comparative Analysis of National and Private Insurance
This study examines the determinants of health insurance coverage in Cambodia, focusing on enrolment in the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and private health insurance. It uses the Cambodia Demographic Health Survey (CDHS) 2021-22 data and utilises multinomial logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of insurance uptake in Cambodia...
Disentangling Community-Based Resource Governance Through Knowledge Systems Mapping: Insights from Community Fish Refuges In Rural Cambodia
Inland fisheries in Cambodia are of great importance to the livelihoods of rural communities, as they provide sustenance and seasonal income for the local population. Community fish refuges (CFRs) are natural or human-made water bodies that hold water throughout the year, providing a dry-season sanctuary for aquatic life. Managed mainly by the loca...
Cambodia’s New Growth Strategy: Priorities for High-Quality and Sustainable Development
The 16th Cambodia Annual Outlook Conference 2025 (COC25) convened leaders from government, business, civil society, and academia to debate Cambodia’s strategic growth path amid global uncertainties. Anchored in CDRI’s flagship report, Cambodia’s New Growth Strategy, the conference underscored the need for a policy shift—moving beyond high growt...